


The Cutie in the Booth

by bzou



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Autistic Kageyama Tobio, I mean its not a central thing but i dont write allistic kage ever so, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-20
Updated: 2016-08-20
Packaged: 2018-08-09 21:29:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7818019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bzou/pseuds/bzou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kageyama gets stood up. Kuroo's there to help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Cutie in the Booth

**Author's Note:**

> idek anymore yall i just rly liked this idea and if i gotta be the sole kurokage content creator i will be
> 
> also i rly dk w that title take it as is maybe ill come up w a better one
> 
> also for those that know me for the kurokage longfic Restless im still working on it dw its on its way but i got a little stuck and some other stuff happened so i basically did this as a way to get unstuck

“Alright, what about that one?” Bokuto asked, pointing to a non-descript kid – no older than 19 – sitting at the diner counter, eating and reading something on his phone.

“I dunno, he looks a little young, y’know?” Hanamaki commented, swirling his melting milkshake around in its glass.

“Ah, youth,” Kuroo sighed dreamily, mostly to annoy the others.

His friends groaned in an exasperated chorus, much to his liking. “Shut up, oh my god, you’re 23.”

“I remember when I was that age, so full of _life_ and _vitality_ ,” he continued, emphasizing his points with elaborate hand gestures before Hanamaki reached across the table and did an elaborate hand gesture of his own upside Kuroo’s head.

“Alright, alright, I get it,” Kuroo laughed, rubbing the sore spot. “Seriously though, we don’t need to do this.”

“Kuroo, you were just complaining about not having a boyfriend,” Matsukawa said before being interrupted by the always boisterous and melodramatic Bokuto.

“I’m not enough for you!” He flung himself across the bench seat of their booth practically into his best friend’s lap, wedging Kuroo between himself and the window. Kuroo pried him off his person and pushed him back to his side, ignoring the dry crocodile tears Bokuto tried and failed to shed.

Bokuto was his best friend and he was much closer to him than just about anyone else (in more ways than one) but Bokuto’s lack of romantic attraction and desire for a romantic relationship left something to be desired. Kuroo liked fun, he was a fun guy, but he’s also an incredible sap that just wanted a boyfriend at the end of the day, and he wasn’t going to find that in Bokuto. It didn’t necessarily bother him – he loved Bo, sure, but not in any sort of romantic way, nor would he ever expect or force the other into a relationship. He just wanted one in general.

“We’re just being good friends,” Hanamaki grinned wickedly, like the gears in his evil little mind were turning. Kuroo, however, knew better – that was just his face – but it still unnerved him.

“Well, stop then.”

Hanamaki ignored him, turning in his seat when the door rang as another patron walked in. He turned back to face Kuroo and pointed over his shoulder. “What about him?”

“Will you stop assuming every guy that walks in is gay?”

“I’m insulted you would doubt my gaydar.”

“You have a gaydar now?” Kuroo asked skeptically, an eyebrow raised.

“Of course,” Hanamaki said proudly, putting an arm around his booth mate, “his name is Mattsun. That guy’s gay, right?”

“Definitely,” Matsukawa replied, not looking up from the crab on the kids’ menu he was diligently colouring a deep purple.

“You didn’t even look!” Kuroo complained loudly, earning a few looks from other patrons and the waitress behind the counter.

Matsukawa shrugged. “Didn’t have to.”

“He just knows,” Hanamaki said matter-of-factly and looking rather proud of himself. Kuroo shot him a glare before turning back to his fries.

Hanamaki turned around in his seat to watch the guy that walked in slide into a booth across the diner from them. When the waitress came over, they could just barely hear him ask for two menus, holding up two fingers to confirm their eavesdropping.

Bokuto hissed. “Ooh, sorry Kuroo, looks like he’s already on a date. Better luck next time.”

“I’m-!” Kuroo spluttered, “I wasn’t going to talk to him!”

“Tough luck, Kuroo.”

“Can’t catch a break there, man.”

Kuroo whipped a broken crayon at the two across the table, ignoring the laughter as Hanamaki deflected it and it rolled across the tiled floor away from their table. This really earned them a cold look from the tired waitress, shaking her head as she walked by them with the mysterious guy’s two menus.

It was a shame that guy was clearly waiting for a date, Kuroo thought absentmindedly, chin propped in one hand on the table. The guy – probably no older than 20, maybe 21 – was switching between looking at his phone and out the window, only breaking his routine to nod a thanks to the waitress when she set his two menus down.

He was cute, Kuroo guessed; tall and lean, oversized sweater unable to hide his size. Not exactly a date outfit, Kuroo thought, but who was he to judge. There was nothing that really jumped out about him, save for the little frown that he seemed to persistently wear. Black hair, tan skin, dark eyes, nothing of note, but despite that, he was still cute.

Bokuto dumped a bunch of coins in the center of their table, scooping them into the middle. “So. Should we have some fun with the jukebox?”

“We’re going to be here for a while,” Matsukawa said over the rim of his glass.

“So?” Bokuto shrugged. “I got nowhere to be.”

 

 

“Dude, you can’t _actually_ expect them to have it.” Kuroo patted his sulking friend, sprawled across the table with a pout. Bokuto’s fun had been spoiled when they found that the jukebox did _not_ in fact have Tom Jones’ _What’s New Pussycat_ or _It’s Not Unusual_. The other diners would be spared his meme terror for tonight, but at the expense of Bokuto’s happiness.

Matsukawa and Hanamaki were still at the jukebox going through their fine selection of records for some actually enjoyable music for the last twenty minutes, clearly unable to decide. While comforting his disappointed friend, Kuroo’s gaze drifted back to who he had deemed Cutie.

Still alone.

He’d begun to nervously tap the table, and still hadn’t ordered any food, just a drink it looked like. He was still checking his phone, and the frown he now wore was that of concern rather than his natural state.

Matsukawa had rejoined the duo at the table, following Kuroo’s line of sight. “He still alone?”

“Guess so.” Kuroo leaned back in his seat, stretching his arms over the back.

“Date must be running late.”

“I thought you knew all?”

“My powers have their limits.”

“ _Excuse_ me,” Bokuto interrupted. “Are we not going to talk about the fact the stupid box doesn’t have those songs?”

“Why would you expect them to,” Hanamaki said, sliding in next to Matsukawa.

“It’s a tragedy!”

Kuroo tuned his friends out and watched Cutie’s leg bounce under the table while he stared out the window. The diner was beginning to fill up, his date would probably be walking in any second.

Instead of thinking about it any further, Kuroo snatched Matsukawa’s colourable kid menu and a crayon and decided to occupy himself with the stupidly easy connect-the-dots.

 

 

An hour since his arrival, Cutie was still dateless. By then, the waitress had already come by and asked him if he was expecting anyone, and it seemed like he’d ordered a side of fries to munch on while waiting.

By now Kuroo and the others were watching with perverse interest, Matsukawa and Hanamaki nearly completely turned around in their seats. Luckily, it seemed Cutie was completely unaware.

The waitress came back around, and since the diner had filled up considerably, nearly every booth and spot at the counter taken, they could no longer eavesdrop.

“What do you think she’s saying?” Bokuto asked.

“Maybe she’s trying to tell him his date isn’t gonna show up,” Hanamaki mumbled, chin buried in his arms, crossed against the booth’s back.

“Maybe she’s just taking his order again,” Kuroo suggested. It was a little sad to think the guy had been stood up, and though he knew deep down that that’s what the case was, he still held out a little hope Cutie’s night wouldn’t cumulate into this humiliating display.

The waitress left the table again, with both menus from Cutie’s table in tow.

“Ooh,” the group hissed.

“Ouch,” Hanamaki said, turning around in his seat with a bounce. “Looks like he might’ve finally accepted it.”

“No, wait wait wait,” Matsukawa tittered, causing Hanamaki to whip back around. God, did his friend’s have no discreetness?

Cutie was dialing his phone and held it up to his ear, eyebrows bunched and frown deep. It couldn’t have rang more than twice before he pulled it away from his ear, staring at the phone awfully upset.

“Oh!” Hanamaki exclaimed, fist to his mouth.

“Ooh... Whoever he was calling definitely hung up on him,” Matsukawa said, shaking his head and turning around and back to his food.

“If he doesn’t take that hint, nothing’ll stick.”

It looked like he did, though. Cutie put down his phone rather sadly, folding his hands over the table and trying not to look around the dining room; it was obvious to everyone else that this poor kid had been stood up, and the shame was pretty apparent on his face. The look of utter disappointment and hurt twisted Kuroo’s heart.

“Bo, move.”

“What?”

“Need to go to the bathroom.” Kuroo didn’t even wait for the other to slide out of the seat for him, choosing to crawl over top, hand on Bokuto’s face as leverage. Instead of the restrooms, though, Kuroo went through the back door and ran around the building, coming back in through the front doors. He didn’t even need to look at his friends to know they were watching him, and he’d probably lose all nerve if he thought about it for a second.

So he didn’t.

He just slid into the booth seat opposite the cute kid that got stood up as if he wasn’t a complete stranger, sighing. “Sorry I’m late, traffic was ridiculous.”

The guy... didn’t say anything. Instead he stared at Kuroo with wide eyes, blinking.

“Uh,” Kuroo began, starting to lose his nerves but powered through. “Did you order already?”

Still silence. The guy looked around, shifty. “Um, what are you doing...?”

Kuroo leaned on the table with his elbows, obscuring his mouth with one hand from the rest of nosy diners. “Just play along.” He leaned back again and pointed at the menu. “Can I see that?”

Cutie – who, upon closer inspection, turned out to be way more attractive than Kuroo had initially thought – nodded cautiously and slid the menu over to him.

“I’m starving,” Kuroo mumbled, a little awkwardly to fill the silence between them. “Did you get something?” The guy just pointed to the near empty basket of fries, pushed off to the side near the condiments. It didn’t look like he was going to give Kuroo much to work with, though.

“Right.” He nodded, the air growing uncomfortable so he relegated to a watery smile. The guy just raised an eyebrow in return. Kuroo waved down the waitress in hopes ordering even more food would break the awkwardness, but she just gave him a very confused look, looking back over her shoulder at his friends, who gave a little smug wave.

“Uh, yeah, can I get this, please?” Kuroo said, pointing to the exact same menu item he had ordered an hour earlier at his own table. The waitress said nothing, just scrawled the order down and sauntered off. It didn’t help the mood.

“So,” Cutie began slowly, testing the waters, “you got... held up in traffic?”

Kuroo breathed a sigh of relief, a small smile tugging at one corner. He was playing along. “Uh, yeah! I was like, ‘Kuroo Tetsurou, you are never taking this route again.’” He tried to discreetly slip his name in so the other would know it, but failed miserably.

“Smooth,” He heard Matsukawa say loudly across the dining room with the others snickering, arms tucked under his chin and fully turned around in the bench seat to watch him. If he could’ve, he would’ve whipped something at them – a shoe maybe – but as it was, he didn’t want to give himself away, or cause a scene.

“ Sorry again, I hope I didn’t keep you waiting long.”

Cutie nodded thoughtfully. “Right...”

“Anyway,” Kuroo said, feeling a lot more at ease now that it seemed Cutie wasn’t entirely freaked out, “how was your day?”

“Alright,” the guy mumbled. “Got a little extra practice in before the game Friday.” Kuroo was a little surprised he was speaking so casually, as if Kuroo had any idea what the hell he was talking about. Cutie backtracked a bit when he realized Kuroo didn’t understand, and the brief wide-eyed look of realization was, well, cute. “Volleyball.”

“Oh! You play?” The other nodded earnestly, making Kuroo’s grin wider. “That’s pretty cool. I used to play competitively in high school.”

“Really?” Cutie perked up at that, sitting at attention. “What position?”

“Middle blocker and captain,” Kuroo said a little proudly. His ego inflated more when Cutie’s eyes filled with wonder. “You?”

“Setter!” he blurted out. “I wasn’t captain in high school, though, but I was vice captain.” Kuroo couldn’t help but smile as Cutie went off on a tangent about his old high school team; it sounded like he still had a lot of admiration for them.

When the waitress came back with Kuroo’s order, it created an awkward lapse in conversation while the other clammed up, so Kuroo asked, “Where do you play now?”

“Juntendo. It’s a pretty decent school for volleyball, though we haven’t won nationals since I’ve been there, but this year will be my first as the starting setter.” Kuroo listened as the other prattled on excitedly about his _new_ team and school, and how thrilled he was to finally be a starter and how hard he had worked to earn this position.

It was cute. Hence the nickname Kuroo had given him.

Cutie apparently was studying sports sciences at the university, and, though not as keen on it as he was with volleyball, it seemed he enjoyed the program. Kuroo hadn’t meant to, but he did tune out the technical details in favour of staring, studying the guy. Every wave of the hand to emphasize a point, every flick of his eyes – he didn’t make much eye contact, but Kuroo was still mildly surprised to find that his dark eyes were actually a very deep blue.

Cutie didn’t have any kind of big or noticeable smiles, but the small tugs at the corners of his mouth were still enough to amaze and amuse Kuroo. His smiles weren’t so much in his mouth as they were in his eyes, twinkling with delight at being able to speak so excitedly about something he was interested in.

Kuroo didn’t really want to admit that he got lost in them, but it took him a belated few seconds to notice the tremor in the guy’s hands and shoulders.

“Cold?”

“And- huh?” Cutie stopped in his conversation’s tracks.

Kuroo pointed at him. “You’re shaking.”

“Oh.” The other frowned, shoulders slumping. “No, I’m fine, don’t worry about it.”

“If you are you can borrow my jacket-”

“Really, it’s fine-“

“I think you’re sitting, like, right under a vent.” Kuroo craned his neck to look at the ceiling.

“Seriously, it’s fine. I just.” Cutie’s cheeks pinkened, which, in turn, made Kuroo’s own face grow warm. “I just. I shake when I make a new friend,” the guy mumbled, and that _really_ made Kuroo’s cheeks redden. He could already feel his heart swell in his chest.

“Why would anyone stand you up?”

Cutie was taken aback by the seemingly out-of-the-blue question before sitting back in his seat and scratching his neck. “I dunno,” he shrugged. “I know I’m not the... most _approachable_ -“ For some reason, that made Kuroo’s heart sink a little. Maybe it was just the way he said it, full of shame and disappointment, “- but he was the one that agreed to see me here. If he didn’t want to, he just should’ve said no.”

Even worse, it was _Cutie_ who had asked the jackass out. That had to have hurt; not only be rejected, but in such a blatant and humiliating fashion. Whoever he was, he was missing out.

“Hey,” Kuroo began, trying to lighten the mood and bring that shimmer back to Cutie’s eyes, “it could’ve been worse. You could’ve had a _really bad_ date. Like, one time, I decided to go out with this guy from one of my quantitative chemical analysis classes, thinking it’d be casual – y’know, I wouldn’t have to bring an emergency first-aid kit, bear repellant, and an extra pair of socks, but boy, was I wrong.”

As Kuroo recounted the tale of the worst date he’s ever been on, and definitely in the top five worst days of his life, he watched the light return to the other’s eyes. He couldn’t even be disappointed when Cutie covered his mouth to stifle a little laugh. It made the whole horrible date worth it if it could bring such amusement to him.

More than an hour passed before Cutie’s phone buzzed and his face fell in annoyance. “Ugh, it’s my roommate. He forgot his keys. Again.”

“Ah,” Kuroo said. “Guess that means you should go let him in.”

“I _should_ ,” Cutie sighed, “but, honestly, he deserves to wait out in the hall a bit.”

Kuroo couldn’t help but laugh, which surprised Cutie, but it brought the smallest of smiles to his lips. “I know the feeling. But really, you probably should.” He waved down the waitress, and while Cutie was deep into texting back his roommate, whispered to her for the bill for only _this_ table – his friends could pay for his prior meal. That could be the price they pay for watching this entire fake-date he was on.

Kuroo left the cash on the table for both his and Cutie’s meals. The other blinked, staring at the money and then at Kuroo. “You really don’t have to pay, you know.”

“It’s fine.” Kuroo waved it off. “Consider it consolation for having some ass stand you up.”

Kuroo did not miss the blush that rose to the apples of Cutie’s cheeks when he nodded and mumbled a thank you before sliding out of his seat. Kuroo followed him, holding the door open on their way out and forcefully waved off his friends’ knowing looks and Makki’s low whistle.

“So,” Kuroo began a little awkwardly, scratching at the back of his neck when they were on the street outside the diner. “Uh.” The way the other stared at him curiously and with little expectation somehow made him _more_ nervous, but he took a breath. “Maybe we can do this again? Sometime? Maybe, y’know... like a real date.”

The spark returned to Cutie’s eyes as he nodded vigorously, pulling out his phone, tapping a few buttons, and handing it over. Kuroo grinned. His reaction wasn’t expected, but it was certainly not unwelcome. They traded phones after Kuroo had opened his contact list and created a new contact, diligently naming it “Cute Volleyball Nerd”.

Cutie snorted when he saw the name, typing in his number. “You know, I have a real name.”

“Oh, yeah, I know. I just-”

“Kageyama,” he said, a full, soft smile both on his lips and in his eyes. “Kageyama Tobio.” Kuroo felt his heart flutter in his chest, whether it be from the name or that look. “And you’re... Kuroo, right?” Kuroo nodded, for once at a loss for words. “Thanks, Kuroo. For...” Kageyama gestured nonsensically with his hands, “everything.”

Before Kuroo could respond or even _think_ , Kageyama took a brave step forward and planted the most chaste, soft kiss on his cheeks before turning on his heel and speed walking away without so much as a goodbye.

By then, Kuroo’s friends had exited and were waiting only a few feet away. They, blessedly, had controlled themselves from hooting and hollering until Kuroo was out of sight before rushing over and Bokuto just barely caught Kuroo under his arms, a stupid, love-sick look on his face and a hand to the kissed cheek.

“My _god!_ ” Bokuto exclaimed in his usual, dramatic way. “He’s in _love!_ ”

**Author's Note:**

> @bewarebzou on twitter  
> tobieaux on tumblr
> 
> talk to me abt kurokage \;w; /


End file.
